Posts Tagged ‘
purees for 7+ months ’

We had the Saturday from h-ll. Poor Mason’s cutting three new teeth and he has a brutal cold so he just clung to us and screamed most of the day. His little gums were horribly swollen and red, his nose was running nonstop, and his chest was rattling when he breathed. I’ve never felt so helpless as a Mom. He’s always been a good baby so we don’t have much experience with crying/screaming jags (yes, there’s an excellent chance we’ll get hit hard with #2). I kept wishing there was something I could do to make his misery go away, but I could only try to minimize his painful symptoms. At one point, I started to cry, too, out of sympathy and exhaustion and worry. I became Worse Case Scenario Mom and was convinced something was seriously wrong with him. Luckily Chris is an excellent voice of reason or I probably would have taken my baby to the ER…for teething and a cold.

To treat his cold, we turned on the shower and had him breathe in steam from hot water for 10-minute intervals (Chris and I took turns holding him and distracting him from the discomfort of the hot, wet air with his toy cars). He also slept with a humidifier running and a thick coating of Vicks on his chest. To help the teething pain, which seems to be the greater of the two evils, I gave him baby Motrin and frozen pacifiers. At mealtime, I coaxed him to eat a few different soft, squishy foods. He didn’t want to eat much (he even rejected mac ‘n’ cheese!), but here are the things that he would eat. We’d go through the list, try a few other things, and then repeat. (Other moms have recommended frozen bagels and waffles to us in the past, but unfortunately Bug wouldn’t go for either.) Any other suggestions to add to the list?

Sunday brunch is one of our fave weekend traditions. This morning we made Mason a cheese omelet with a side of Cinnamon-Spiced Blueberries and Apples that I whipped up Thursday night. The fruit recipe was inspired by one I had seen on Parents.com, and Mason enjoyed the warmly spiced fruit mixture with his oatmeal Friday morning. While Mason ate his breakfast, Chris and I whipped up some pancakes and bacon for us. We made an extra pancake for Mason and topped it with a spoonful of blueberries and apples. It was his first pancake and he dug in, face, hands, hair — you name it! — covered in crumbs and blueberries.

I love this fruit puree because it’s so versatile — and so simple to make. I peeled a Gala apple with a potato peeler, then removed the core and diced it. Then I added the apple to my steamer, along with 1-1/2 cups of frozen organic blueberries. I steamed the fruit for about 7 minutes, then dumped it into the blender. I sprinkled 1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon on top of the fruit, then blended it until it was smooth (you can also smash the fruit instead of blending it if you want a chunkier texture). I originally intended to make the puree with pears since the Parents.com recipe calls for pears but I ran out of pears so I substituted apples instead (the fruits are incredibly similar). The puree was so delish that Chris ate it on his pancakes as well!

Try out this idea with your babe (or mix up the fruit as a topper for oatmeal or cooked apples), and let us know what you think!

Peel and core the apple. Dice. Combine with 1-1/2 cups blueberries. Steam for 5-7 minutes until soft. Drain fruit and pour into a blender for pureeing or bowl for smash. Puree in a food processor, or smash with a fork or potato masher. Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.

Last weekend Chris and I took Mason and my Mom to one of our fave neighborhood restaurants, Sage General Store. We live in Long Island City, which is in the New York borough of Queens, the most diverse community in the US. (Every announcement in our subway station is posted in Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, and English.) The neighborhood is 10 minutes from Manhattan by subway and it’s very much in transition, filled with abandoned warehouses and sketchy characters in some pockets, but it’s also home to cutting-edge art galleries, a melange of luxury apartment buildings, and great restaurants. And that’s where Sage comes in.

Sage is known for a few ultra-decadent dishes, most notably its three-course bacon brunch–bacon sampler, bacon brunch pizza, and chocolate-bacon brownie. We arrived early and were fortunate enough to get a table. The place is always packed. Mason sat in a vintage highchair and had his first taste of bacon marmalade. (He loved it!) We had planned on ordering him Sage’s ultra-decadent mac ‘n’ cheese but they were out of it so I served him my Cheesy Rice Casserole with Peas instead (yes, I called ahead because the place is so popular they frequently run out of stuff).

This casserole is one of Bug’s favorites, and it’s very simple to make–a mixture of brown rice, baby cheese sauce, and smashed peas. You can also add shredded chicken or small pieces of tofu to the mix for more protein. It’s rich and delicious but it’s also healthier than the typical casserole because of the brown rice and peas. Bug gobbles it up and I think your babe will like it too. Try it out–and ping us with your feedback!

Our love affair with yogurt continues. Yogurt is still the one thing that Mason will eat with a gigantic grin no matter what — and he’s a brilliant eater. I’ve made many fruit yogurts for Mason — peach, pear, banana, apple, mango, papaya, apricot (get the recipes) — but YoBaby gave me the idea to blend yogurt with green beans and pears. Before I mixed green beans with yogurt, Mason refused to eat them. Now he loves them. Since that combo was such a winner, I decided to try a new yogurt-fruit-veggie combo tonight: Sweet Potato-Apple Puree with Yogurt.

Baby Yogurt

I didn’t plan to invent a new yogurt tonight. In fact, I hadn’t thought about dinner at all before we got home late from a friends house and Mason was absolutely starving. (Isn’t how that always works?!) After rooting around my freezer, which is filled with rows and rows of homemade baby food (pic below), I settled on frozen sweet potato puree and frozen apple puree. I pondered adding beef to it, but Mason already had beef for lunch. I opened the fridge and noticed some yogurt. Hmmm, Mason hadn’t had yogurt today. What if I just stirred the three together?

My frozen stash of homemade baby food

I started with about four ounces of rich and creamy, full-fat Stonyfield organic yogurt, then stirred in two ounces of Sweet Potato-Apple Puree (one of Mason’s faves). I felt excited about this duo — the sweet potatoes were packed with beta carotene, while the apples were rich in vitamin C (and lots of other good stuff). The yogurt was filled with healthy Probiotics, which are super good for Mason’s little tummy. The meal was pure and simple, uncomplicated, and an absolute hit.

I’m perplexed. For months, Mason loved butternut squash. Loved it. It was his first yellow veggie. He ate it plain, he ate it with chicken. He enjoyed it mixed with yogurt and peaches, and he loved the simple combination of butternut squash and apple. Now he cries when I try to feed it to him.

What gives? Apparently this happens. Babes suddenly decide they don’t like something. And that’s it. I’m a bit sad — I loved that he loved butternut squash. It’s pure and simple. Wholesome, velvety, luscious. I felt good feeding it to him. And it’s so simple to make.

Of course, I won’t feed Mason something that makes him cry. For now the butternut squash in my freezer will stay there. I’m hoping he’ll enjoy it once again. If he doesn’t we’ll share it with one of his little friends.

In honor of Mason’s (former) favorite veggie, here are the butternut squash recipes he enjoyed for the last few months. (Before you get started cooking, don’t miss my guide to how to roast and puree butternut squash.) Try out our recipes and let us know what your babe thinks!

1. Poach chicken for about 35 minutes. Drain and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Shred a cup’s worth, and set aside.
2. Roast butternut squash. Scoop flesh from shell. Set aside 1/2 cup.
3. Combine both the squash and chicken in a food processor or blender. Add cooking liquid or water until you reach desired consistency. (Think smooth but without being watery.) Freeze extras for up to three months.

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About The Author

While her culinary adventures have taken her around the world, Heather Morgan Shott thinks cooking in her own shoebox-size kitchen is tops. On High Chair Times, she chronicles the good, the bad, and the downright maddening experiences of feeding Mr. Picky—her toddler son Mason who’s developed a major ‘tude about what he will and will not eat. Read Full Bio